The Babysitting chronicles
by Fangirldown
Summary: A series of one shots chronicling the knights and king of Camelot when they are asked to watch their child/children for the day.
1. Arthur & AJ : A promise kept

"And what, _exactly,_ am I to do with him?" Arthur said as he crossed his arms, looking perplexed as his gaze traveled from Gwen to their 6 year old son.

"Spend time with him. You haven't _exactly_ been doing a lot of that lately." Gwen replied, an edge in her tone and brows knitted together, her eyes telling him if he didn't he would never hear the end of it.

"_Fine_." Arthur huffed out as his arms untangled and hands went to his hips and he rolled his eyes. Not a good move on his part.

"Good," she said tightly as her glare towards her husband became more intense before she turned away. "and don't even _think_ about pawning him off on Merlin."

"Merlin can barely watch where he's going and you think I would entrust him with my son? As _tempting_ as it sounds I _wouldn't_. I promise." Arthur said in what he hoped was reassurance despite his sarcasm and the fact that pawning him off on Merlin was the first thing that came to his mind.

"Then I hope you two have fun." Gwen said turning with a smile at both of them before leaving Arthur and Arthur Jr. alone to stare at one another.

"Well AJ," Arthur stated as he leaned with his back against his desk, looking into his sons light brown eyes as he mentally went over his schedule for the day to see where he could either squeeze in some time or do something later but his day was filled with training and council meetings, all of which he felt were absolutely necessary. "Looks like you'll be helping me today." he finally decided and watched as the small boy grinned up at him widely, eyes brighter than the sun itself, at least, that's what Arthur thought as he looked upon him with a warm smile.

"Daddy, look!" AJ called, the helmet covering his eyes as he swung the broadsword recklessly and began to run about with it laughing hysterically like it was some sort of toy and not a deadly weapon, making Merlin pale as he came across them on the training field as he carried a few weapons and targets with him.

AJ pulled his helmet up enough to see the court sorcerer, who was more like an uncle to him due to the annoyingly high amount of time spent with him while his father was busy, was staring at him with a gaping expression before his eyes landed on the blue, yellow and red targets he had swung over his shoulder, and he charged towards him happy to finally have something to swing at. "Oi, stop it!" Merlin shouted as the blade came dangerously close to his midsection and he jumped away.

Clearly upset at the fact Merlin had yelled at him and refused to allow him to hit the target, the rambunctious 6 year old ran over to him and, with a skill and grace he must have inherited from his father, swiftly kicked him directly in the shin and ran away with his sword, leaving the sorcerer to grab at his leg and glare into the back of the little bugger.

"Arthur have you gone _mad_?!" his voice grew an octave higher with each word that slipped between his lips as he tried to avoid getting stabbed by the 6 year old heir to be. Dying at the hand of a 6 year old did not sound very appealing, in fact, he bet his magic that after they grieved his death they would make jokes about it for centuries.

"What do you mean? I'm training him to be a fine knight," Arthur said as he watched AJ. "Besides this was all Guinevere's idea, told me to spend time with him without giving him to you and I plan on at least trying to keep that promise to her."

Merlin couldn't help but watch as the child began running about, the sword bigger and heavier then he was and the blades tip getting closer to the ground before finally it struck dead into the grass and dug in firmly, spearing AJ in the gut with the hilt and knocking him over and sending the helmet flying a few feet away.

"Oh yeah, he's got the makings of a great knight if the plan is to disarm and maim _himself_." Merlin said sarcastically as he watched the child writhe on the ground and groan in obvious pain.

Merlin waited for Arthur to show some sort of concern and go check on him but when he didn't, "So you're just gonna leave him there then? Not gonna check if he's missing an arm, an eye, an organ?"

"Jesus, Merlin, it was just the hilt. Worst he'll have is a bruise, maybe a cracked rib. He's gotta learn sometime." he said as he adjusted his wrist protector while glancing over at the boy.

"_He's 6_." the warlock said as he eyed the king in disbelief before his eyes, laced with a mixture of satisfaction and guilt, landed on the boy who was no longer rolling or moving, just laid there still as stone.

"And I was the same age as he when I wielded my first sword and I ended up with an injury far worse then he probably has." Arthur said as he too looked to his son. "AJ, you all right?" he called and slowly they watched as his small arm raised and thumb flicked up to signify he was alright. "See?"

Merlin still wasn't convinced but wasn't all to eager to check on him either, considering he was turning out to be a prat just like his father. "Well if you don't mind my asking, what was your first injury?"

"I..broke my arm." Arthur said almost unsure as his eyes turned to Merlin and watched as his face turned to confusion with an amused smile.

"How in the world did you _break_ your arm at 6? Unless you were in a tournament or the knights were literally training you to be a killer at that age, I just can't fathom how!"

"Well for one the sword was very heavy, and secondly I could barely lift it above my shoulder and when I did my arm twisted and-stop _laughing._" he growled as he looked to Merlin before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "This is why I can never have a serious conversation with you."

Finally Merlin managed to get his laughter under control, the images of Arthur as a puny weakling trying to lift a sword leaving his mind, and his eyes moved to AJ and he couldn't help but laugh again. If it wasn't obvious knowledge that he was indeed the kings son, it was evident after hearing Arthur's story and witnessing AJ's display that clumsiness was a family trait both shared.

AJ moved sluggishly and brought himself to a sitting position, shaking his head and holding his side as he used his free arm to push him up so he could stand, leaving the sword where it struck firm in the ground as he wobbled over to his father, a nauseating feeling radiating from his midsection, who greeted him with a ruffle of his hair and a smile.

"There's my little knight to be," Arthur beamed proudly as AJ looked up at him with a sickly expression.

"I think I'm gonna puke." he stated as his hand went from holding his side to his gut before he leaned forward and barfed all over Arthur's boots, the knights watching and laughing from behind as Arthur's expression went from proud to hardly amused.

"Right. That's enough for the day, go and sit over there with Merlin." Arthur said as he carefully removed his boots to avoid getting vomit on his hands before tossing them away from him and walking onto the training field barefoot, his eyes shooting daggers at the goofy looks his knights were giving him.

Gwaine was in hysterics as Arthur grabbed a sword from the rack and lifted it, taking a defenders stance as he waited for one of his knights to act as an attacker and come at him. "Come on then!" Arthur shouted, agitated that no one moved from their spot.

"No one wants to step on your feet, sire." Gwaine said with a cheeky grin at the king causing him to go off on a spiel about how no one should care, even if he was naked, which made the grins fall and looks become unsettled at the sudden turn the speech had taken.

Merlin looked at AJ who seemed to be recovering well from his battle with the ground, the young boys brown eyes meeting his as he wore an apologetic look. "Sorry for kicking you uncle Merlin." he said and Merlin only smiled down at him before nudging his shoulder with his own.

"Don't worry about it," he said as his eyes trailed back to Arthur who, by now, had his arms spread wide as he kept taunting and challenging his knights who refused to fight the bootless king. Merlin could see Gwen coming onto the field, a puzzled look on her face as she undoubtedly searched for her son but only seen her husband shouting like a mad man, and her face hardened as her pace picked up.

"Why don't you go fight him?" Merlin said with a hint of mischief in his eyes that soon mirrored in AJ's as he jumped up and ran for his sword, plucking it from the dirt like Arthur did with Excalibur from stone, and rushing up behind his father.

His plan had worked as he looked back to Gwen who was now smiling and watching. "Get him AJ!" Merlin called enthusiastically as he cupped his hand over his lips to enhance his voice and causing Arthur to turm to see the boy huffing as he ran towards him at a rather slow pace and he smiled, raising his sword high enough so he could hit it as AJ dragged it along the grass before the blades met lightly from his underarm blow and then stepped on Arthur's foot.

"Very good," Arthur said tightly with a forced smile, holding in the yelp of pain that sat at the back of his throat as his face contorted, and smiling tightly at the young boy. "At least he understands and knows how to exploit and use a weak spot when he see's it."

Merlin glanced at Gwen again to find her standing still, a smile on her lips now, as she looked at the two boys begin to playfully fight one another and Merlin felt satisfied in knowing he helped Arthur keep his promise without him even knowing, like always it seemed.

**A/N Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! So, what'd you think about it? was it a pass or a fail? would you like to see more one shots added or watch it burn in dragon's fire never to be seen or read again? **


	2. Gwaine and Lily: Ribbons

"Daddy!" Lily called in delight as her father came into view down the hallway causing her to let go of Leon's hand and run towards him as he dropped to his knee in order to catch her in his arms.

"Princess." Gwaine said into her strawberry blonde hair as he picked her up and hugged her close to him. He was in charge of looking after her for the day while her mother was busy at work making and repairing dresses.

"Mommy told me, to tell you, she needs more ribbon." Lily said as she pulled back and looked at her father with her unimaginable harlequin green eyes, eyes that had gotten her out of trouble more than a few times because all she had to do was bat those little lashes of hers and Gwaine was putty in her hands.

Setting her down, he took her by the hand and began to walk towards the courtyard. "Looks like you and I are heading to the market then."

The market was all hustle and bustle as people crowded around vendors and shops to purchase imported goods that wouldn't be seen until around the same time next year, making it hard for them to maneuver and get to the ribbon shop without a fight but they got there with only a few elbows being tossed about by Gwaine to protect Lily from being trampled.

As the entered the shop the child was off, grabbing different colours and shades and lengths of ribbon her mother had no doubt instilled in her head before sending her over to him, and then she was by his side again with her tiny hands clutching fistfuls of the silken fabric strips. "Does she really need all those?" he asked and her head bobbed up and down as she looked up at him. "Alright.

As they were heading towards the counter to pay for the goods, Lily's eyes fell on 2 strips of pink lace and Gwaine couldn't help but notice. "Do you want them?" He asked kneeling down next to her and following her awestruck gaze back to them, her had bobbing again causing Gwaine to stand and grab them, keeping them separate from the other pile as he paid and left.

As they were leaving the square on their way home Gwaine stopped and asked,"Do you want them in your hair?" but this time she shook her head and Gwaine gave her a confused look. "On your wrists? Around your neck?" he kept firing off different possibilities but with each one she just shook her head. "Then where do you want them?"

"On you, daddy." she said with a smile and his face fell and he pointed to himself to make sure he'd heard her correctly and was disappointed when she bobbed her head. With a sigh Gwaine walked with her out into a field where he could sit and allow her to put her ribbons on him, much to his dismay, but his problem was that he could never deny her anything so long as it was harmless.

Finally finding a spot he deemed reasonable enough (and hopeful it was far enough away from his fellow knights, lord knows he'd never live this down if they found him) and sat cross legged as Lily grabbed a fistful of his hair on the side and began to wrap one of her ribbons around it as Gwaine tried not to flinch at her continual tugging of his dark locks.

"Oh," he heard her say and next thing he knew she was running past him farther into the field.

"Lily!" he called as he went to get up and chase after her, afraid she would head into the forest just yards away but she stopped and bent over, picking something off the ground and running back towards him, and as she got closer he could see they were white, yellow and purple flowers.

"Crown?" She asked as she held out the bouquet of mixed flowers to him, some of them she kept for herself, which he took kindheartedly as he settled back into his seat and began to weave them together for her like he usually did when she presented him with flowers. Another tug of his scalp as she added yet another ponytail on the other side of his head, leaving clumps of hair too short to fit to sprawl over his face as he finished her crown only to feel her poking things into the tightly bound tufts of hair she'd given him.

"What are you doing now?" he questioned curiously as to what she could possibly be sticking in his hair now until a low wolf whistled sounded behind him followed by hearty laughter and he twisted his torso so he could see who was behind him and his face went flush as Arthur, Leon, Percival, Merlin, Lancelot, Mordred, Elyan and Gwen went riding by on horse back.

"Looking good, Lady Gwaine." Leon said wiggling his eyebrows at his brother in arms.

"If you tell me Eliza never did this to you _once_ when she was a child then you are a stone cold liar!" Gwaine shouted, a small smile on his lips despite the embarrassment he felt.

"She didn't because she had Neil for that!" Leon shot back with a chuckle as Gwaine shook his head and stood, flowers falling down as he did so and answering his earlier question.

"Come on Lil, let's get that ribbon to mommy now." Gwaine said as he placed his arm on her shoulder and guided her towards home to avoid any more ridicule or eyes seeing his new found look courtesy of his daughter.


End file.
